OffBEAT

OffBEAT with The Black Angels

Having just released their new album Indigo Meadow, The Black Angels bring forward their retro psychedelic sound, to share with their fans while they are on tour. Indigo Meadow features the lead single "Don't Play With Guns," and the band says, their new record is a mix-match of everything they have done over the last 9 years. They describe their new record as a "roller coaster."

The Black Angels stopped by the iHeartRadio studios in New York City recently, where they talked about everything but the music. Find out what the band had to say about what different colors sound like, the quest for sanity, and psych experiences in OffBEAT with The Black Angels below.

Why is the meadow indigo?

It just seems more appropriate than red, or any other color. The Texas state flower is blue. The Bluebonnet.

When it comes in through stain glass windows in a church, it becomes twisted light. It’s also atmospheric distortion, if we’re going to go into the scientific realm. It’s why the stars twinkle. Light through smoke, many things. If you have a cut on your eyeball, your light can be twisted too. Like right now, after too much drinking. Refraction of reflections.

What is the quest for pure sanity?

Listening to the teachings of the 13th Floor Elevators. But you might end up going crazy searching for that. It’s probably an endless journey. Sometimes it’s a bottle of wine and a pizza, sometimes it’s a double cheeseburger and a coke. It’s like pushing boulder up a mountain – you never really get there?

What do colors sound like?

It depends what color you’re talking about. They all have different moods. They can be happy or sad. Green kind of sounds like a bell. Orange is a banana. Yellow is exciting. It sounds like “ring ring ring ring ring.” Black has a real long finish. It’s like at the end of “A Day in the Life,” the Beatles song. The very end, that’s what Black sounds like. It can be quiet too, black can be really quiet.

What is black?

An absorption of light.

What inspires you?

The uknown.

[Stephanie Bailey] Putting pantyhose on my dog Gus. It’s the “in” thing in Japan right now. He loves it. It makes him feel secure everywhere, it’s control top, so he feels comfortable and in control. They make them for soft coated wheaten terriers, he wears a small. He has a size 12 waist, I keep him trim.

When are you doing the right thing?

When you feel good about the outcome. But it can’t be a selfish feel good. When you work really hard, and at the end of the day you sit back and take a deep breath. And are rewarded for whatever you’ve done for that long day. And when you’re not using anybody as a means to an end.

What is a “psych” experience like?

It’s kind of like “PUNK’d” the TV show. When you get psyched out. You can get PUNK’d or you can get “psyched.” Psyched is a little more twisted-like. I guess when you’re mind is tricked into hearing something that’s not there, or perceiving something that’s not there. Like one time we had a show, and Christian thought he was playing jazz music on one of our songs. He thought he was playing free jazz bass. And then he said “PSYCH!” He thought he was hearing colors. Going to see Radiohead can be a psychedelic experience. You can have a psychedelic experience with headphones. Or optical art. Looking at optical art. Like 19 grandmothers in bikinis playing the banjo. Riding the electric bulls at the grocery store. That’s psychedelic. And they’re picking at their teeth with their long acrylics, and then they tickle you when you’re not looking. And then you laugh when they’re not looking.